Thursday, July 17, 2014

Overpower emotion through devotion

Remember Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurushetra. He wanted to run away from the battlefield and was contemplating on the possibilities of begging and living. Suppose that a soldier runs away from the border post during a war then how much disrepute he will bring to his family, society and most importantly to the nation. But Arjuna, overpowered by lots of emotions, was ready to embrace all the disgrace. But fortunately he had befriended with Krishna. Krishna being the Lord was aware about all the pitfalls which affect common man. He knew that Arjuna’s reluctance to not fight was not because of any sound logic but was due to his blind attachment towards his relatives. Krishna wanted to save the humanity from getting ruled by a tyrant, irreligious, arrogant and selfish Duryodhana. Establishing religious principles which will do good to humanity is far more important than being captive to one’s own feelings and sentiments.

Krishna wanted to educate Arjuna about the importance of leading a God centric moral life. Krishna spoke to Arjuna eloquently in an authoritative but friendly tone. Krishna’s words did not break Arjuna’s heart but helped him to see the truth as it is. It is not that Arjuna was less intelligent or coward or was not aware about his duties. He was very knowledgeable and was a very powerful warrior. In the past he had proved his mettle by defeating many fiercest warriors. But somehow his heart was now clouded with emotions and preventing him from discharging his duties. The situation can also be an arrangement of Krishna so that he could deliver the most important message of life during the most extraordinary circumstances to an extraordinary warrior. This conversation has become memorable. The words spoken by Krishna to Arjuna are recorded in Bhagavad Gita. This book is accepted as the crest jewel of all the philosophical literatures of the world. Gita elaborately and logically talks about isvara (God), jiva (living entities), prakriti (nature), karma (actions) and kala (time). The book has been guiding humanity for thousands of years and has transformed lives of millions of people.

In Gita, Krishna highlights the importance and necessity of devotion to God. Devotion simply means doing things which pleases the Lord. For Arjuna, fighting was his devotion because the war would help in re-establishing a God conscious society and culture. Like Arjuna, we too can practice devotion by doing work by keeping Krishna in the centre and offering all the results of our endeavours to him. The process is pretty simple and very helpful as it ensures that we do not indulge in any wrongful deeds. Arjuna got surcharged with energy and enthusiasm after listening to Krishna and said, “My dear Kṛṣṇa, O infallible one, my illusion is now gone. I have regained my memory by Your mercy. I am now ﬁrm and free from doubt and am prepared to act according to Your instructions. (Bhagavad Gita 18.73)” Whenever our intelligence starts getting troubled by emotions then we should immediately take shelter of Gita. Gita’s pristine message will help us to rise above mind and emotions and will simultaneously encourage us to engage in meaningful and fruitful work.